Courtesy of Jean Paul Gaultier. Number three and four are my personal favorites. All images found here (probably not safe for your workplace, though it depends on where you work). I suppose they could also be queens or noblewomen.
A Sextet of Sorceresses
Three is the only one I really see myself using in a traditional setting.
Three is practically based off of a wizard’s robe already. If that’s where women’s fashion is heading, I could get into it! x’D
“I put on my robe and wizard hat.”
I was thinking the same thinking the same thing about 3 and 4. IMHO 4 should be able to transform into a golden serpent.
Some of ’em seem more like temptresses than sorceresses, but I guess there’s no reason one excludes the other. Which brings upa question:
You hear “Fowl temptress!” a lot (heck, I do), but are there other kinds of temptresses that don’t tempt birds? And isn’t it kind of sexism that they’re being singled out for criticism when their male counterparts (the tempters) are just as tempting)?
Fowl temptress should be “foul” temptress, no? Unless I’m missing a joke. Which happens often. Google tells me “foul temptress” is a famous Monty Python quote.
Yeah, female sexuality has historically been seen as more problematic.
The classic in this line of thought is probably the work of Mary Douglas in Purity and Danger:
http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415289955/
Regarding male tempters, if you click through the source link you will find plenty of examples…
Male fashion is much more era-bound than female fashion. A woman walking down the street wearing a traditional greek dress, for example, would not look very out of place, but a man walking down the street in a toga looks costumed. So it’s harder to find good RPG inspiration for male attire in modern fashion, unless you are looking for a steampunk or gothic vibe (which has heavy representation among current designers; just look at the male side of that Gaultier show).
A pun indeed, and not a very good one. Everything after the first paragraph was pretty much meant in a humorous vein.
Saying that there’s not been equality between treatment of the sexes is something of an understatement.
But in this instance I thought it was kind of amusing how the male vs. female divide struck my mind as bringing up different contexts surrounding the “tempt-” word:
When someone says “Temptress” I think of a woman who’s physically alluring, otherwise intriguing, and pulls men under her sway maybe through force of personality or magical means.
When someone says “Tempter” the first thing that comes to mind is old scratch: literally the devil in red with horns and a tail, not just trying to get you to do his bidding, but specifically trying to bargain away your soul.
Not to equate one with the other, just thought it was sort of a weird juxtaposition sprung from the same root concept of temptation.